


a reason

by joshriktwo (joshriku)



Category: Persona 5, Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, The Velvet Room (Persona Series), joshua is world's most annoying velvet attendant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:40:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28618929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshriku/pseuds/joshriktwo
Summary: Joshua is simply a very, very annoying attendant. Who's better than Goro Akechi to entertain him?
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Kiryu "Joshua" Yoshiya, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
Comments: 11
Kudos: 50





	a reason

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kitaakes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitaakes/gifts).



> (shakes doug by the shoulders) I LOVE U!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! <3333333333333

When Goro gets home, his Velvet Room attendant—of all people—is waiting for him at his doorstep. He blinks once, twice, but the attendant still is there, smiling at him. 

“Hello there, detective. I’ve been waiting.”

Goro blinks. “Why are you here?”

Brushing his hair back, the attendant—Joshua—smiles. “I have been assigned a mission with utmost priority. Let’s call it your _trial._ I am here to supervise you for a day.”

That was the most bullshit excuse Goro had heard in a while. There’s no way he could ignore _this_ guy, and by the looks of it, going home was not an option—the guy was literally at his home. It’s annoying, at best, and a terrible experience to go through at worst. Now he was being _tested?_ By who? Igor? The Velvet Room itself?

“What kind of _trial_ is this?” Goro grits out. 

Joshua waves his hand around. “You know. Why do humans cling to life so bad? What makes it so interesting? All those fun questions. You canʼt escape me, detective. Iʼm here all day.”

Goro rubs his temples. Fine. It _is_ impossible to get rid of him until he leaves voluntarily—Goro has no choice but to oblige. That in itself annoys him. _Fine._ Itʼs going to be a long day. 

“What do you want to do?” 

“Well,” he begins, and the smirk drawing on his face already sends a chill through Goroʼs spine. “As I’ve already stated, in case you weren’t paying attention to what I’m saying—be sharper, detective!—I want to see what’s the big deal with humans. Why do you love being here so much? Having fun little hangouts to digest food that is simply not good for your body? I simply must have to know.”

“You are very fucking annoying,” Goro sighs. “You want to go out in _January._ ”

The attendant blinks. “Why, is that wrong?” 

“Itʼs fucking cold,” Goro says. 

“I donʼt feel it,” Joshua giggles. “Better start moving to keep warm, mm, detective?” 

This is going to be the longest day of Goroʼs life. 

* * *

“People donʼt usually talk during movies,” Goro says to Joshua. Itʼs a very empty theater today, given that it is a Monday in January at an odd hour. Still, Goro wants silence—the attendant has not shut up for a single second. “Itʼs disrespectful.”

“Aw. Humans are so strange,” he coos. Goro doesnʼt know _why._ “Is it not the point of this to share ideas with a fellow human? To share opinions?” 

“Yes. After the movie.”

Joshua frowns a little. “Makes no sense. What if one forgets what they wanted to say after the movie ends?” 

“Then too bad. I donʼt care.”

He gives Goro a smile, like he knows something he doesnʼt. Itʼs annoying and unsettling. “What?” 

“Oh, nothing. So, this… movie, was it really filmed like this? Do all humans have superpowers?” 

“Most of it is CGI.”

“Can you explain what CGI means?” 

“I could,” Goro smiles, tightly, “but I choose not to.”

“Wow. Your trial is going miserably, detective.”

Goro doesnʼt care—why should he? What results could possibly come out of a fake reality? For all Goro knows, his attendant might not even be the same as always. Everything about this is wrong and weird. 

His attendant _still_ babbles on. Goro grabs a handful of popcorn and hopes to mute him somehow. 

* * *

“Itʼs been said that arcades have the ability to transport someone to a world further away from this one, like a parallel world. Could this be true? Are the machines infused with powers?” 

“Itʼs just videogames,” Goro hands him the toy gun. He aims his expertly, demonstrating how to kill the enemy spaceships in-game. “The other world you talk about is a fictional one.”

“Most fascinating,” Joshua hums. He lifts up the gun and attempts his own run—and itʼs not bad at all. Scarily accurate, like heʼs handled a gun before. “All Iʼm seeing today is quite different from what I expected.”

“And what _are_ you seeing?” 

Joshua shoots another enemy. “I see that all humans do is search for a way to escape their current life. Movies, arcades… they all are poor attempts to wiggle out of their little, miserable brains. However, some people just give up on escaping and embrace the bitterness. Like you.”

Goro shoots a few more enemies. He laughs, bitter indeed. 

“Detective,” Joshua continues. “In this reality that is far from real, what makes you want to be here?”

“I _don’t want to,_ that’s the problem. I have no reason to be here. I’m here because—”

Why is he?

Goro tightens his grip on the gun.

“Relax. I don’t actually care about what you have to say,” Joshua says, airily. “I was just asking.”

“I’m going to fucking kill you—”

“Akechi?” a voice asks. Goro turns around, because it could _not_ be that of all days, Akira Kurusu happened to also be at the arcade. Akira _is_ indeed here, smiling at him a little. His eyes divert to the attendant. “Hi. I see you too get bugged to hang out with your attendant.”

“He’s a pain in the ass,” Goro mutters. “What are you doing here?”

“Ryuji said to meet up here, but he had another appointment,” Akira says. “So I’m here alone now.”

The great Leader of the Phantom Thieves, being ditched by his own? Everything could happen in this reality, huh.

“Can I hang out with you? You know, be less of a loser and all that.”

Goro turns to see his attendant. Not like he’s asking for permission, but to his surprise, Joshua already nods. He turns to look at Goro with the same smile, like he’s aware of a secret Goro isn’t, and it’s absolutely infuriating.

At least Akira is here now.

* * *

“Well, I’m satisfied for the day,” Joshua says as they bid Akira good-bye. “I understand everything now, detective.”

“About what? Speak up clearly. I’m sick of your bullshit riddles.”

“Your reason for being here. It’s not fictional escapism. It’s him, isn’t it?” Joshua giggles. “How hilarious.”

“Get the fuck out of this world already,” Goro says, quietly. “I’m sick of you, too.”

“Yes, I shall be on my way. What a valuable lesson you’ve taught me today, detective,” he grins, smug, and Goro really fucking hates him. “For the record, there was no trial. I was just bored today.”

“I had a feeling that may be it.”

He laughs again. “I will see you again sometime.”

“Hopefully never again.”

True to his word, he leaves, and Goro decides to go back home. First, he stares at his glove, and then his mind goes back to Akira.

A reason, huh? What a load of bullshit.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](http://joshriku.tumblr.com/)   
>  [twitter](http://twitter.com/joshriku/)   
> 


End file.
